Sinnohbound
by pikachugirl2
Summary: The year is 199X. A young boy named Ash has his life changed when a strange meteor lands in his hometown. Now, he learns that he and three others are destined to save the land of Sinnoh from Team Galactic and their leader, Cyrus...Parody of Earthbound!
1. The Meteor And The Messenger

The year is 199X. The peaceful area known as Pallet Town is quiet on one night that would change the world…

* * *

A loud thud woke the neighborhood. Police sirens screamed away outside, and the sound of doors opening and slamming shut rang through the town. Ash Ketchum opened his eyes, waking up from a wonderful dream he'd been experiencing. After several failed attempts at regaining his lost dream, he stood up and angrily rushed to the window to learn about the commotion. He gasped, greeted with a shock when his eyes fell upon a meteor that rested just half a mile from his house.

Quietly, so as not to wake anyone, he tiptoed downstairs and approached the front door. However, a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Young man! Where do you think you're going at this time of night?"

Ash sighed. "Mom, relax. I just want to check out the meteor…"

His mother began to speak, but stopped suddenly. "Well you can't go out like that. Put some clothes on first."

* * *

After changing out of his pajamas, Ash quickly pulled his cap on and rushed down the stairs. He turned to his friend Pikachu for a quick goodbye. Pikachu waved to him.

Ash rushed out of the house, ignoring the various odd creatures of Pallet Town that tried to slow him down. At last, when he was near the top of the cliff on which the meteor had landed, he began to sprint not paying attention to anything in front of him. He smacked directly into a police officer in front of him…

"Hey, watch where you're going kid!"

"Uh, sorry!"

All at once, a voice made Ash cringe. "Ashy-boy? What are you doing here?"

Out of the shadows, Ash's friend Gary stepped into view. "You might as well just go home and call it a night. I've got everything under control here."

"But I-"

"Run along, I have things to do."

Ash sighed and trudged back to his house in low spirits. His mother noticed this and offered him a cookie once he stepped inside, which he politely refused. After several minutes of thought, he jumped back up off the couch.

"I don't care what Gary says! I want to see that meteor!!!"

Ash's mother beamed. "That's the spirit, Ash! But why don't you take Pikachu with you? Just for a little while?"

Ash smiled back, bending down to allow Pikachu to jump onto his shoulder. Around then, there was a knock at the door.

"Ash? Open up, it's me!"

Ash opened the door to find himself face-to-face with Gary, who lived in the house next to his. Gary put his hands on his hips.

"What exactly are you doing just standing around? Eevee ran off to check out the meteor and hasn't come back! And as my friend, you're supposed to help me find him!"

Before Gary could get dramatic, Ash sighed and picked up his cracked baseball bat off of the couch. It could come in handy at a time…

His mother waved goodbye to him, and he set off down the road, Gary and Pikachu at his side.

* * *

Once again ignoring Pallet Town's strange creatures, the three of them set out for the top of the cliff. Gary had no idea where they were going to begin with, but Ash was determined to see the meteor that everyone had gotten so worked up over. By now, the area was quiet, and Ash had the place all to himself. After several minutes of hiking up the cliff, and listening to Gary's whining, Ash's face lit up at the sight of the meteor, which was still blazing hot to the touch. Gary smiled when he saw Eevee asleep by a tree.

Eevee opened its eyes and gasped when it realized it had fallen asleep. "I'm sorry Gary! I didn't know where you went, I just wanted to find you!"

"It's alright. Let's just go before our parents go crazy, okay?"

Ash, meanwhile, along with Pikachu, were eagerly examining the awe-inspiring meteor that they'd been blessed to have a chance to observe. As Ash stood up reluctantly, he heard a rather irritating buzzing sound that filled his ears.

"Gary, do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Ash heard the sound again. "THAT."

Out of nowhere, and from what seemed to be beyond the limits of his imagination, Ash watched as the meteor emitted a glorious light. Suddenly, a small fly-like creature approached him. Gary poked it.

"What the heck? What is this thing?"

A tiny, irritated voice replied back. "I'm a someone, not a thing! And I didn't come for you, so go away!"

The fly turned to Ash, who smiled brightly at it, still not believing the night's events.

"You're the one called Ash, right? Ash Ketchum?"

Ash nodded. The fly smiled.

"I have so much to explain, and this is going to seem very sudden…my name, first of all, is Lucas. I was a normal human being until _they_ took over and turned me into this! Now I'm nothing more than a mere fly…anyway, the evil Team Galactic has taken over our land of Sinnoh, and we've declared war against their leader, Cyrus! I came from ten years in the future to warn you of the fate of Sinnoh! Please, I'm begging! The prophecy tells of three boys and a girl who will save Sinnoh from destruction! Do you understand this?"

Ash nodded again. Gary tilted his head in utmost confusion.

"Good. They're coming for me as we speak…we have to move fast…I'll get you back to your houses safely, but we must hurry!"

Lucas landed on Ash's other shoulder, and Ash, Gary, and Eevee set off down the road. When they were just feet from Gary's house, another bright light shone on the ground. Appearing out of it was a girl with red hair in a tight dress. She frowned.

"Wow, Lucas, I'm impressed. Getting this far with no help…"

"What do you want, Mars???"

"To destroy you, of course!" With that, Mars lunged at Lucas…


	2. PSI Power, Sinnoh Style

Pikachu ran off, shouting apologies back at Ash. "This is too weird for me! Sorry, but I've gotta sit this one out!"

Ash just sighed and pulled out his cracked bat, ready to fight. Gary hid behind Ash, and Eevee just shook his head, embarrassed at Gary's behavior. As Ash prepared to attempt to deliver a blow to Mars, Lucas buzzed around his face, as if pushing him back.

"Just let me take care of this!"

Lucas took a deep breath, and left Ash standing in awe as a bright light began to shine again.

"PSI SHIELD!" Lucas shouted, and the light took the shape of a shield that covered all of them. Mars grimaced.

"Do you really think you can protect these kids?"

"Watch me!"

Ash gently poked Lucas. "What was that?"

Lucas smirked. "PSI. It's like psychic powers. Everyone is gifted with them, but few know how to make them work at will. You are one of the few. I can sense it. You'll learn soon."

"Okay. If I'm as important as you say, let me take a shot."

Before Lucas could stop him, Ash lunged forward, his bat cracking down on Mars's head. Mars glared at him.

"You little pest! Don't interfere!"

Mars, too, began to concentrate, as Lucas had before. She took a deep breath. "PSI Fire!"

Suddenly, a wall of flames advanced rapidly towards the group. Ash stood his ground firmly, gripping his bat tightly. Lucas was impressed with his bravery, as the other two were cowering in fear. But Ash was surprised when the shield seemingly absorbed the attack. Lucas flew in front of Ash.

"Okay, now let me finish up here! PSI THUNDER!"

A bolt of lightning flew down from the sky and struck Mars fiercely. Mars winced, screaming, until her form disintegrated. Ash smiled and dropped his guard, turning to Lucas as Gary and Eevee dashed into their house, shouting and begging for mercy.

"So that's PSI power, huh?"

"Why don't you try it? You look beat."

"How do I fix that?"

"Well, with the experience you just got watching PSI in action, you tell me. The PSI power I'm talking about is called PSI Lifeup. There are multiple variations of this attack, but the weakest and easiest for you to use is called PSI Lifeup a. Why don't you try it to recover some strength? Just take a deep breath and concentrate really hard. Then when you're at the peak of your concentration, shout 'PSI LIFEUP!'. Not too hard, right?"

"Um…okay, here goes…"

Ash shut his eyes, took the deepest breath he could, and concentrated until his brain felt ready to burst. Then he shouted the words. "PSI LIFEUP!!!"

As he opened his eyes, he was positive it wouldn't work, but his mind was changed when his cuts and bruises began to radiate with a light before disappearing. Ash beamed proudly at his first successful PSI move. Lucas smiled.

"Now I'm sure you're one of the four people destined to save the world. Just train yourself regularly with that move, and other PSI moves should become apparent soon after. I'm sure you'll get stronger along the way, Ash. I believe in you."

Ash smiled and went into Gary's house to check on him. Almost upon immediate arrival, Gary's mother screamed.

"EW EW EW EW EW!!!! A FLY!!!"

Gary's mother took a quick swat at Lucas, nailing him spot-on and sending him crashing to the ground. Ash bent down low enough to see and hear Lucas.

"Lucas! Are you alright?"

Lucas coughed up blood. "Yeah, I'm fine…my time has come, but before I die, there's something I must give you…"

With his last bit of power, Lucas made a light shine next to himself. The light yielded a small blue case that was empty. Ash picked it up and examined it. "What's this for?"

"Go to Sinnoh. Find the eight gyms. Once you do, everything will become apparent. Along the way, you have to find the other three you are destined with. One girl and two boys. Please don't give up. Sinnoh needs you…"

Ash felt a small tear of sympathy slide out of his eye as Lucas disintegrated. Ash wiped his eyes and went back to his house, immediately rushing up to his mother.

"Mom, I need to go to Sinnoh!"

* * *

The next day, Ash's mother, Mr. Mime, and Pikachu all waved goodbye to Ash as the ferry to Sinnoh pulled away from the harbor. Ash's mother had packed him everything he might've needed, and the only thing left for Ash to do was to pull himself together and prepare for his journey into Sinnoh.

The trip was long; almost three days. But at last, Ash's feet touched the soft ground of Sinnoh as he landed in a small place known only as Twinleaf Town…

* * *

Ash smiled as he looked around. Twinleaf Town was bigger than Pallet Town could ever hope to be. Ash could hardly take it all in. There was everything! But Ash decided to start small and explore.

As he passed by a preschool, he was compelled to listen to the cries of desperation from a man outside, who was standing and shouting someone's name frantically.

"Dawn! DAWN! Where'd you go? It's time for dinner!"

Ash walked over to him. "Excuse me, are you looking for someone?"

"Oh, I'm sorry to disturb you...my daughter Dawn is missing...and she'll miss dinner at this rate! Would you mind finding her and bringing her back? She wears a pink skirt and a pretty white hat."

"Hey, don't worry, I'll find her."

Ash walked away as the man thanked him before continuing to call out Dawn's name. Ash froze in his tracks as a conversation between two people drifted into his ears after walking partway across town.

"Mmm-hmm, it's a shame, that Dawn girl. Eterna City, yup...bad place to be in..."

Ash thought for a moment. Eterna City? Was that close by?

Well, the town had a library, so Ash decided to take a trip there. He was grateful when someone gladly gave him a map of Sinnoh. Walking outside, he headed for the nearest road. The closest town from there was Sandgem Town, and after that was Oreburgh City, then at last was Eterna City. It had to be at least a day's walk away...and the sun was already setting...

_No way, no giving up! You can't forget what Lucas said, _Ash told himself. Although the sun was setting, he decided to keep walking, on to Oreburgh City, passing Sandgem Town at around 12:00 in the morning. He stopped for a quick meal there, then pressed on.

However, double-checking the map, he was surprised to see a gym marked on Oreburgh City's spot on the map...

_All the more reason to keep going, _he thought.

_I'm coming, Dawn, I'll save you and everyone else!_


	3. PSI Rockin' The Streets

The trip was long, but Ash beamed as he set foot in Oreburgh City. As much as he wanted to press on to Eterna City, he knew now would be a good time to stock up on supplies, and maybe even challenge that gym…

Ash decided for the gym to come first. He rushed down the road, and as he got close to the gym, someone rounded the corner and hit him head-on. Both of them fell to the ground, but the other person, a boy dressed in black from head to toe, stood up and raised his fists.

"You lookin' for a fight, kid???"

"No, sorry, I was just-"

The kid picked up Ash by his neck before throwing him against a brick wall of a building. "Look here, kid, us Sharpedos don't take nicely to jerks like you."

"Look, I told you! I don't know who the Sharpedos are or anything, just leave me alone and let me go!"

The Sharpedo stopped Ash in his tracks. "You lookin' for a fight, you little jerk?"

"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!!!"

Ash pulled out his bat and raised it, prepared to fight. The Sharpedo lunged at him. Ash dodged, just narrowly managing to avoid the Sharpedo's attacks. Every now and then, the Sharpedo would nail him spot-on, leaving him standing dazed. Normally, Ash would recover quick enough to dodge his next move, but sometimes the blows were so fierce they left him wide open to receive a barrage of attacks.

At last, he managed to knock the Sharpedo unconscious, but before he could even consider using PSI Lifeup, three more kids, dressed the same way, came around the corner, and noticing their fallen gang member, lunged at Ash. Ash fended them off best he could with his bat, but things were getting rough fast. He felt himself getting low on energy, and at this rate he'd be down for the count very soon. He stepped back and attempted PSI Lifeup, but had to keep running to avoid being hit. His anger and irritation seemed to mix with his concentration, and a voice pushed at the back of his mind.

_PSI Rockin…PSI Rockin…say it…_

Without taking a deep breath, Ash did as the voice commanded and shouted the words. "PSI ROCKIN!!!"

Light surrounded him, in many colors and odd, wavy forms, and pressed forward quickly, knocking all of the Sharpedos off their feet and unconscious on the ground. At last, he had the strength to use PSI Lifeup on himself, and he felt restored and fresh, ready to take on the gym.

Suddenly, Ash turned around when he heard clapping. "Well done, kid, well done! Taking down three of my men with a single hit!"

"Your men? Are you…"

The man stepped out of the shadows. Ash stared at him. He had purple hair, but was dressed differently than the Sharpedos had been. "That's right. My name is Reggie, leader of the Sharpedos. And it is my duty to stop you!"

Ash was prepared this time as Reggie lunged at him. He raised his bat so Reggie rushed right into it. Ash was shocked as Reggie pulled out two knives and swung them frantically. He dodged narrowly the first time, but the second time, his arm was cut open. Ash dropped his bat and grabbed his arm, wincing in pain.

Reggie kept swinging at Ash, determined to bring him down. Ash tried desperately to use PSI Lifeup to heal his arm, but he was too occupied with dodging Reggie's swings. _What was that attack again? PSI…something…uh…wait, I got it!_

"PSI Rockin!" Ash cried. The lights returned, knocking Reggie off his feet. Ash seized the opportunity to ignore his arm and attack Reggie with the bat. He smirked as he made direct contact with Reggie.

Reggie had blood dripping from his mouth, but he only smirked. "Impressive, young man. But fail-proof Reggie can't be beaten…"

Reggie pulled a remote out of his pocket and pressed a button. Ash heard strange whirring noises behind him, but rolled just in time to avoid being nailed in the head by…a robot? Ash was confused, but he knew by now not to let his guard down. He was relieved that it was far slower than Reggie, but its attacks were deadly.

"PSI Rockin, one more time!" The lights hit the robot in a colorful explosion as the robot exploded into bits. Ash sighed and wiped some of the blood off of his arm. Reggie smiled.

"Wow, kid, you're good…I won't make the same mistake twice. I won't mess with ya anymore. But you're gonna get a lot stronger. Lemme see your arm…"

Ash reluctantly let Reggie bandage up his arm. Reggie smiled, and Ash returned the smile, starting to relax.

"If you ever need anything, let me know, okay? Good luck in that gym."

"Okay, thanks." Ash put his bat away, went around the corner, and stepped into the dark gym…

* * *

The gym was so dark it was hard to see, not to mention cold. Ash felt as if he were only blindly stumbling around, not knowing what was around every corner. Most strange creatures that approached him ran away instantly, afraid of him. At last, he bumped into what felt like a person that wouldn't budge.

"Can I help you?"

"This is the first gym location. But it's mine now. Take it from me, if you dare..."

Ash smirked and pulled out his bat. _A fight, huh? Bring it on!_ The two rushed forward at each other, filled with power and determination to win.


	4. Flashes, Badges, And Bats

"PSI Rockin'!" Ash shouted, and the bright colors splattered all over, enveloping the gym leader and sending him flying into a wall. When the dust cleared, he stood up and wiped the tiny bit of blood dripping from his mouth.

"You got guts, kid. Strong enough to use PSI Rockin' already? Name's Roark, by the way. You don't seem like one for introductions though."

"Shut up and fight me!" Ash shouted, stamping his foot and clenching his Cracked Bat harder. "I know you're guarding that badge, and if I'm gonna save Dawn I need to get out of here with it!"

Roark simply laughed, but stopped abruptly, holding out one hand. "PSI Shield Alpha."

Ash took a few steps back as a bright blue light enveloped Roark, covering him significantly. _Wait…what kind of move was that?_

Ash shook the worry out of his head and charged forward, his bat smashing against the shield. Surprisingly enough, though, Roark just seemed to be barely phased by it. He smirked.

"Kid, let me show you what a real attack is." With that he lunged forward, and Ash was a little more than surprised as to what he did next.

He bit Ash's arm. Hard.

"Holy-" Ash staggered backwards, clutching his bleeding arm. "Did you really just bite me?"

Roark ignored him and pulled off a follow-up attack while Ash defended. "PSI Magnet Alpha!"

In less than a second, Ash fell to his knees, a draining feeling seeming to suck the energy out of him somehow. It didn't make him feel physically weak, but rather internally, almost emotionally, an indescribable feeling.

Ash felt hopeless now, defending Roark's attacks with all his strength remaining. He had no time to use PSI Lifeup Alpha, he was too busy trying not to get destroyed.

And from nowhere, that voice again.

The same voice as before, in the back of his mind.

He listened with great intent, more focused on the voice now than the battle, and paid careful attention to the three words it spoke to him.

He dropped the bat and extended his arms.

"PSI…"

Roark lunged at him. This would be it if this attack connected properly.

"F-Flash…"

Ash shut his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth as Roark made a straight dive for him.

"ALPHA!"

Ash was certainly glad he shut his eyes as the bright light filled the dark gym. Roark shouted in agony as he went flying backwards. When he tried to stand up, he staggered over, one hand to his head.

"Nhh…I feel…a little…strange…kid, what'd…what'd you do…?"

Ash smirked. "I turned the tables pretty decently, Roark." And with those last words, he brought his bat crashing down upon Roark's head. Roark cried out as he disappeared into dust.

Ash felt a sense of victory and relief flowing through him, and sat down to give himself time to think. He lifted one hand. "PSI Lifeup Alpha."

When he had finished healing, his eyes locked upon something shimmering on the ground. He picked it up gently and delicately, smiling down at it. A gym badge. HIS gym badge.

He reached into his pocket and opened his badge case, gently setting the badge inside before closing it again.

As he stood up, he stopped as his vision became fuzzy. His head began to spin a little bit, and he felt rather dizzy. He leaned against the wall for support, his knees shaking as a bright light flooded his eyes.

And then he saw it.

A small, cute Pikachu, much like his, the image playing briefly across his eyes.

As soon as it had come, it stopped. Ash fell to the floor, exasperated after that vision, and gave himself time to breath, the Cracked Bat still held tightly in his hand.

...

"Um…I'll take that Tee Ball Bat there, if it's not too much trouble. And that Baseball Cap, if that's okay too."

The man in the drugstore smiled at Ash as he placed the Tee Ball Bat and the Baseball Cap on the counter. "Here you go. I see you're an ambitious young boy, what do you plan to do with these?"

Ash had to think about how to respond to that. "Well, my friend got kidnapped, and I have to save her. Wait, actually, she's not my friend. I've never met her. Basically, she's a friend I've never met before."

The man chuckled. "I can see you certainly need these then. Today we have a special on Cheap Bracelets, too. Only $98.00. It could definitely come in handy, kid. You want one?"

Ash thought about that for a moment. _Well, what the heck. The more defense the better, especially after Roark._

"Sure. I need everything I can get right now."

The man handed the three items to Ash. "You want me to buy that old Cracked Bat from you, boy?"

Ash looked down at the bat, which seemed to be ready to break in half any second. "Of course. I mean, if you don't mind that."

The man shook his head. "Here you go. I'll just use the money from that to pay off the Baseball Cap, okay?"

Ash smiled. "Thanks!"

Ash fitted the Baseball Cap onto his head, adjusting it a bit. It was a little big, but he would grow into it. And the Tee Ball Bat was a little heavier than the Cracked Bat, and definitely seemed stronger, at that. Ash was a little relieved.

Walking out of the store, he slipped the Cheap Bracelet onto the arm that would hold the Tee Ball Bat.

And looking down the road, the roadblock that had previously been blocking the path to Eterna City was now open.

He took a deep breath and darted down the road into the vast Eterna Forest.


	5. Dawn's Plight, Ash's Fight

Hours and hours of walking and trying to avoid various enemies was beginning to prove tiresome for Ash, who was hoping he was somewhere near Eterna City by now.

He'd already had to stop to use Lifeup at least five times now, and half of them didn't even fully restore him. Just as he was about to give up from the sweltering heat of the forest, his eyes scanned the horizon and came to rest upon a small cabin out in an open clearing.

Ash carefully navigated his way around the forest until he was right in front of the house. He clutched his bat tightly, not knowing what was inside. It could've been three-thousand bags of money in there, or a man-eating demon waiting to bite his head off. Either way, he shut his eyes and burst through the door.

And what he saw next was quite a surprise.

The only things in the house were a table and two chairs, and steel bars across one side of the room.

But it was what sat behind the steel bars that shocked him.

A small girl, not appearing to be any older than him, was sleeping peacefully on the floor, her head resting against a plush toy in the corner. Ash knelt down and took time to examine her condition.

The door to the cell was tightly locked and wouldn't budge, so she was basically stuck in there. The girl had long bluish hair with a white beanie resting upon it. She had a pink skirt and pale skin, and a black shirt that topped it all off, with a red scarf wrapped around her neck.

In one hand, she tightly clutched something that shimmered and glistened when the light from the one window in the room hit it the right way, with a lightning bolt emblazoned across it.

Ash gently slipped his fingers through the bars and let them brush her arm. "Hey, wake up. Wake up. Are you Dawn? Wake up, Dawn…"

The girl's eyelids fluttered open, and she sat up, her vision refocusing. When she realized who was in front of her, she leapt up and grabbed the bars.

"Ash! You really did come for me!"

Ash smiled. "Hey, are you Dawn?"

She nodded frantically and happily. "Yeah! I'm Dawn, I'm Dawn! You're Ash!"

Ash laughed. "You seem a little excited."

Dawn twirled around happily. "Finally, someone came to save me! I knew deep down that a boy named Ash was my destiny, and now you're here! I'm as good as free already!"

Ash's smile faded. "Well…who put you in here, Dawn?"

Dawn became serious, and lowered her voice. "Charon…"

Ash tilted his head. "Who?"

"Mr. Charon! He stuck me in here because he thought I would interfere with something!"

Ash put his hands on his hips. "Why would he think a girl like you would mess with him?"

Dawn sat down, and Ash sat down with her. "See, thing is, I can use a little bit of PSI that is actually pretty deadly. I guess that's why he threw me in here."

Ash's face lit up at the sound of that three-letter word. "You can use PSI?"

Dawn smiled. "Yup, just like you. I knew ever since I saw you in my dream that you could use it. Your face kinda said it all."

Ash stood up, clutching his bat tighter. "Listen to me. I'm gonna go to Eterna City, find this Charon guy, and come back when I have the key, okay? Then I'll get you back to Twinleaf Town."

Dawn stood up as he was about to open the door. "Wait! Listen!"

Ash turned around. "What's up?"

Dawn reached through the cell, extending one arm. She opened her hand to show Ash the shiny object she'd been holding. "Take this. Mr. Charon has some pretty powerful PSI, and he can use lightning. This is a Franklin Badge. Pin it on your shirt or something. However you wear it, it reflects lightning back at anyone that throws it at you. If you want to beat him, you definitely need it.

Ash took the Franklin Badge from her and pinned it to his shirt. "There we go. No need to worry now, right? I'll beat Charon and bring that key, don't you worry about a thing, Dawn!"

As Ash shut the door behind him, he was greeted with a surprise. A very unwanted surprise. He grimaced.

"Gary, what are you doing here?"

Gary smirked, looking away from Ash. "Making sure you don't save your little girlfriend in there, that's what."

Ash clutched his bat tightly. "Gary, I swear, you better shut up right now or I'll pummel you!"

Gary snickered. "I don't think so. Get him, guys!"

As Gary ran away, three enemies dove straight in after Ash. He took them out with relative ease, and dashed down the road for Eterna City before anything else weird could happen.

...

"One Sandlot Bat, please, and I'd like to sell this Tee Ball Bat in exchange."

The man gazed at Ash with a blank stare. "Of course, kid. Here you go, a Sandlot Bat. And I'll take that old Tee Ball Bat off your hands."

Ash shrugged and walked out the store, new Sandlot Bat in hand. _Wow, the people in this town sure aren't too lively, are they…?_

A little bit of a walk later, he found himself in front of a large building. He tightened his grip on the bat, as he did now by instinct whenever he felt danger surrounding him.

He reluctantly opened the door slowly and cautiously, stepping inside slowly and closing it behind him as quietly as possible. Looking around, the place was filled with nothing but people in blue outfits conversing. He shrugged. _Seriously, what is up with this place and the color blue?_

After about 10 minutes of trying to squeeze his way through the crowd, he flung himself through a door and stopped to breathe. A receptionist hid under his desk at the sight of the boy with the bat barging in. Ash ignored him and ran into the next room, bat clutched tightly and determination blazing in his eyes.

"Alright Charon, come out and fight like a man!"

The old man in the room turned around and gave Ash a glare that sent chills down his spine. A golden statue stood behind him.

"Shh, don't shout in the presence of the Space-Time Statue, boy."

Ash was confused. Is that what that shimmering statue behind the man was?

The man bowed to Ash. "I am Mr. Charon, the leader of the people influenced by the Space-Time Statue, and its humble follower as well."

Ash grimaced at him. "I don't give two cents who you're the leader and follower of!" He pointed his bat at Charon. "You kidnapped Dawn, and I won't forgive you for that! Take this!"

Ash lunged at Charon, his bat striking a deadly blow to the old man, smashing against his chest. But Charon was definitely stronger than he looked, or so it seemed. Charon stood up after being knocked back from that blow.

"That does it, boy! I was going to go easy on you, but I think I just changed my mind! Why don't you get a taste of my Crashing Boom Bang attack?"

Before Ash could respond, guard, or even blink, a bolt of lightning flew straight towards him. He shut his eyes, preparing to take the blow head-on. But when he heard Charon shout, he looked down to see the Franklin Badge on his chest gleaming.

He smiled. _Dawn was right…this thing really DOES help me!_

Filled with courage and relief, Ash lunged at Charon again and again. The old man couldn't even fight back at this point, outmatched by the young boy's speed and agility. At last, one last blow sent Charon spiraling to the ground. Charon extended his hand. "Stop, stop! I admit defeat!"

Ash smirked, but it faded with Mr. Charon's next words.

"Wait…who are you? Where am I?"

Not even stopping to find out what happened next, Ash grabbed the key that had fallen to the floor in the heat of battle and dashed out the door.

...

The key clicked in the lock perfectly, and Dawn stumbled out, throwing her arms into the air. "Freedom! Sweet freaking freedom once again! Thank you so much, Ash! Are you hurt?"

Ash shook his head. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine."

Dawn bowed to him. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused. I'm in your debt big time for saving me, Ash. Please let me come with you! I know some deadly PSI, like I told you!"

Ash smiled. "Of course you can come."

Back at the store, Dawn looked around. "It's been so long since I saw any other people that I'm starting to feel a little shy."

Ash smiled at her. "Don't worry, you'll get used to things again. It's nice having someone to talk to other than myself."

He turned to the man behind the counter, who's glazed-over expression had long since disappeared altogether. "Hey, I remember you, kid! You came to get the Sandlot Bat, right?"

"Yeah. Alright, I need one Ribbon, one Frying Pan, and two Copper Bracelets."

The man laughed. "For your girlfriend, right?"

Ash rolled his eyes and sighed. "She's not my girlfriend…I literally just met her today…"

The man handed Ash the items. "I'm just messing with you, kid. Want me to buy that Cheap Bracelet from you?"

Ash took off the Cheap Bracelet and handed it to the man. "You know it."

Items in hand, he walked over to where Dawn was sitting, setting each item on the table individually. "Alright, you need some sort of weapon, and the best thing I could find was this Frying Pan. Is that okay?"

Dawn smiled brightly. "You bought stuff for me? Oh man, how much do I owe you now?"

Ash shook his head. "Don't worry. Coming with me is more than enough, Dawn. This is gonna be a tough trip, so I gotta make sure I treat you as good as I treat myself. Same goes for the other two boys that I know will come with us."

Dawn tilted her head. "Two more boys?"

"Dawn, long story short, we're the Chosen Ones that have to defeat Cyrus. I'll explain more when it gets easier to explain."

Dawn picked up the bracelet and the ribbon. "And are these for me too?"

Ash nodded. "Of course."

As Dawn put her new gear on, Ash looked at his map. "Alright, all that's left to do now is backtrack to Twinleaf, okay?"

Dawn looked at the map as well, pointing to a symbol that made Ash freeze in the middle of talking. "Ash, what's that?"

Ash was surprised he overlooked it, and was glad for Dawn being there.

"That's a Gym, Dawn. There's a Gym here…"


	6. Claiming Sanctuary, Calling Friends

"Watch your step, Dawn," Ash whispered to Dawn as the two of them traversed the large gym of Eterna City. "Try not to step on anything. I don't really know what's here yet."

It had been about ten minutes maybe since they first got in, and Dawn was starting to feel a little lost. At last, Dawn pointed to something in the distance. "Ash, what's that?"

Ash extended his hand to Dawn. "Don't get careless, hold onto me. I don't even know…but I think that's the Gym Leader."

Dawn did as he said without a second thought and held his hand. If these Gym Leaders were as strong as Ash made them out to be, she definitely had good reason to do so.

As they got closer, Ash realized he was right, his grip tightening on his bat instinctively. "That's-"

"Gardenia to you," the Gym Leader said in a stiff voice. Those words enough made Dawn shudder. "A-Ash, this is my first time getting into a fight like this. I've never fought a Gym Leader."

Gardenia smirked at the girl. "Well as you probably would've guessed, this is the second Gym location. But it's mine now. You can take it from me, if you dare…or can you?"

Ash and Gardenia instinctively leapt at each other, but Dawn hesitated, clutching her frying pan. Ash raised his hands up, both of them glowing with a bluish light that enveloped Dawn. "PSI Shield!"

Ash turned to Dawn. "What are you doing? You okay?"

Dawn backed away a little. "I…I don't know what to do. Um…tell me what to do!"

Ash was a little taken aback, but could see that she needed some guidance. "A-Alright then, Dawn, use…PSI…Freeze Alpha. You know PSI Freeze, right?"

Dawn nodded, extending her arms in front of her. "PSI Freeze Alpha!"

Instantly, Gardenia was encased by ice all around her, which closed in on her before imploding, driving ice shards all around. She stood up and tried to shake it off, but couldn't get back on her feet before Ash launched a PSI Rockin' at her. Again, she was forced to take the blow head-on, with no escape. She groaned as she stood up, still brushing ice off her arms.

Ash felt a chill run down his spine as she laughed. "Is that honestly the best you kids can do? Really? I haven't even started attempting anything yet."

Ash felt a drop of sweat run down his face. _I gotta do something fast…if she starts attacking Dawn, that's it! I need Dawn for this desperately…But she's over there basically petrified unless I tell her what to-_

_Wait._

_Petrified._

Not even knowing where he was going with this, Ash shouted the three words that popped into his head first, extending two hands in Gardenia's direction. "PSI Paralysis Alpha!"

In a mere instant, just as she was getting ready to lunge at the children, Gardenia froze, unable to move, like a statue waiting to be demolished. Ash smirked. Gardenia felt fear strike her at the thought of defeat.

"No…kid, how'd you know?"

Ash shrugged. "You seemed weak to begin with."

Gardenia glared harshly at him. "I swear, if I could move right now, I'd claw your eyes out bit by bit!"

Ash just smiled. "Save it. PSI Rockin, one more time!"

As the colorful lights enveloped the shouting and struggling Gardenia, Ash turned to Dawn, motioning towards Gardenia. "Care to do the honors, Dawn?"

Dawn nodded. "PSI…F..F-Fire!" The words seemed to be forcing themselves out of her mouth, and Dawn was surprised as flames suddenly shot out of her fingertips, enveloping Gardenia, who disappeared into dust.

She covered her mouth. "I'm sorry Ash! I meant to say Freeze! I have no idea what that was!"

Ash just laughed. "It's okay, you-….you…" Ash felt that dizzy feeling coming on again, and he leaned up against the wall. When it passed, he stood up straight again, holding his head. Dawn looked at him worriedly.

"Ash? Are you alright?"

Ash shook his head. "A baby…in a red cap…"

Dawn tilted her head. "What?"

Ash just smiled. "Nothing, nothing."

Dawn opened her hand, which held a gleaming emblem of some sort. "What's this?"

Ash beamed. "A Gym Badge. Gardenia must've been protecting it."

Dawn handed the badge to Ash, who gently placed it in his badge case.

"So, where are we heading next, Ash?"

Ash thought for a moment. "I…I don't know."

Dawn was silent for about a minute, eyes closed. "Ash…we should go to Jubilife City. Something in my mind just tells me we should go. I don't know what."

…...

A few days' walk later, and after a quick visit to see Dawn's parents and reassure them of her daughter's safety, the two Chosen Ones at last arrived in Jubilife City, surprised to see that the usually teeming-with-life city now had empty streets completely, with locked houses and buildings.

Dawn shivered. "I don't like the looks of this place. And I'm tired. Can we go stop somewhere for the night?"

Ash yawned. "Yeah, I'm tired too. There should be a hotel nearby. We'll deal with this tomorrow…"

Both kids, exhausted, trudged through the barren city, at last stopping in front of the hotel. A woman rushed inside almost the second they arrived. Ash felt something strange about her, but tried to shake it off as he opened the door.

When he did and they stepped inside, the woman took off down the hallway. Not even listening to Dawn's shouting, Ash darted off after her, Dawn following close behind.

At last, the woman slammed a door shut behind her. Ash, with Dawn now at his side, yanked the door open.

"Hey, what's the big ide-AGH!" The last thing Ash saw was Dawn's shocked face, the woman smile, and tons of ghosts and zombies. Then he blacked out.

…...

When Ash came to, Dawn was on her knees, hands folded. "Dawn, what are you doing?"

Dawn bowed her head and closed her eyes. "I'm calling a friend we've never met before. His name is Barry, in a country far in the north. Barry, if you can hear me, go South! Save us! You are one of the Chosen Ones! Barry! Barry…"


	7. Barry's Call To Action

_**Yes, I know. I skipped the cops in Onett, because I didn't feel like it. I skipped most things involving the Happy Happyists in Eterna City. I skipped the Zombie Lady trigger part in Jubilife City, I skipped the Runaway Five and will for the whole thing because there isn't a real equivalent to them in Pokemon. And now I skipped Brick Road mostly because I was lazy. So yeah, I will skip several non-important parts, and I also plan to skip Venus and her autograph and everything when we get to that point. And in order to keep it close to the Earthbound story, I'm going in a similar order to Earthbound regarding the gyms. Way out of order, even if they've been going in order up to now. Candice is going to be the FOURTH gym leader rather than the seventh. On the bright side, I managed to fit all of Barry's story into one chapter so we don't have to spen another chapter on this, and we'll jump right into the Boogie Tent battle/Journey To Saturn Valley next chapter. Although I haven't decided where Saturn Valley should be yet...it has to have a gym...**_

"Lucas. Lucas, wake up. Lucas!"

The raven-haired boy sat up in his bed and scratched his head, peering through the window shutters. "Nhh…Barry, it's the middle of the night. I was having a dream that you and I were taking a walk…Barry?"

The blonde-haired boy just gazed at his friend. "I…I had a dream. A girl's voice…and she was with a boy in a red cap. She needs help. Somewhere in the South…"

Lucas yawned. "But…ah, whatever. I'll help you bust out of here, Barry. Let's go. But…before you go, there's a few things that you really should get from Max's Lab downstairs."

After a little talking with some people, Barry and Lucas headed downstairs. The young boy who was very smart for his age smiled at the two older boys. "Hey guys! You're just in time! I just finished up my newest invention!"

Barry smiled, but shook his head. "Max, I gotta go somewhere. I can't explain why, I just need to go. Can I borrow the key to the lockers?"

Max smirked, but handed him the key anyway. "Alright, but it's a little bent. Go and get whatever you need."

As Barry and Lucas left the room, Max began counting. "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..."

Barry opened the door. "This key doesn't work."

Max laughed as Lucas followed behind Barry. "Well thank God I just finished my new invention, then. It's called the Bad Key Machine. You just stick this end right here into any keyhole, and click! An open door at your service. NOW you can go get some stuff from the lockers."

Another trip to the lockers proved useful, as did the Bad Key Machine. Barry managed to get his hands on a Pop Gun, a Holmes Hat, and a Broken Air Gun. He put the Holmes Hat on, glad to see that it fit rather snugly. He made sure to prepare the Pop Gun as well.

When at last he was ready, Barry and Lucas planted themselves in front of the front gates of Snowpoint Boarding School. Lucas tried to hold back tears for his friend's sake. "Well Barry…looks like this is it."

Lucas got on his knees. "Alright, use me as a step and hop over this gate. This is it."

Barry nodded. "Sorry Lucas. But I know I gotta do this. Those two need me."

Lucas smiled up at Barry. "Go see Professor Rowan. He can probably help you."

Barry smiled back at him. "Sure thing. And you keep on being Lucas, okay?"

Lucas nodded. "You better get out of here before I break down on you, Barry."

Without another word, Barry stepped onto Lucas's back and flung himself over the gate, heading for the store. Lucas waved to him, brushing a small tear from his eye.

…...

"A…Plusle?"

The woman nodded excitedly. "I know it doesn't look like much, but trust me, Plusle can really help you out on your journey."

Barry sighed. "Ma'am, are you on steroids?"

The woman shook her head. "I'm serious! If you buy a pack of bubblegum, I'll give you the Plusle for free."

Barry groaned. "Fine, fine, I'll buy some bubblegum. Here." He reluctantly handed the annoying woman one dollar, and the Plusle leapt into his arms.

Exiting the store, Barry began to regret his decision, and hoped he'd made the right choice in buying a Plusle, whatever good that would be.

…

Continuing on his way, Barry eventually made it to a group of people in tents, making soup and gazing at the lake with binoculars pressed tightly to their eyes. He approached one man.

"Excuse me, but…what is all this?"

The man smiled. "This is the official Lapras watching club, kid."

Barry tilted his head. "Lapras?"

"Of course! Don't tell me you've never heard of Lapras…It lives in this very lake, and we WILL see it!"

Barry rolled his eyes. "Okaaaaay."

The man smiled. "Feel free to stay in one of those tents for the night, kid. Plenty of hot soup in there, too."

Barry returned the smile. "Thanks. Come on, Plusle."

"Pla!" Plusle eagerly bounded after him.

…...

The next morning, Barry walked outside, carrying a sleepy Plusle in his arms. Looking around, the wind was blowing, and no one seemed to be awake yet. However, this was the least of Barry's concerns.

Looking at him from the water was what he knew instantly as Lapras. It smiled at him, and he gently shook Plusle awake.

"Plusle, look at this!"

Plusle rubbed its eyes. "Gum…"

Barry looked at it curiously. "Wait…what?"

"Gum. Please give me some gum now."

Barry was a little disturbed, but reached into his pocket for the pack of bubblegum anyway. _Man, this adventure gets weirder and weirder._

But what he never could've expected was what happened next: Plusle gently blew a rather large bubble out of the gum and floated onto Lapras's head, leaving Barry with this "What In God's Name Are You Doing" sort of expression.

Plusle smiled and waved to him. "Come here!"

Reluctantly and rather confused, Barry climbed onto Lapras's back. Lapras began to swim towards an island across the lake, carrying Barry and Plusle with it.

….

Plusle looked up at Barry about thirty minutes later. "Barry…can I?"

Barry smiled and nodded, leaning against the wall of the strange dungeon that they'd just got out of. "Yeah. I just need you to let that rope down."

Plusle smiled, clambering up the wall and letting the rope down. Barry smiled and carefully scaled the wall with the aid of the rope. When he reached the top, he saw a dark figure slumping against the wall, and approached it carefully.

"Hello? Are you alright?"

The figure shook its head. "Only Ash can absorb the power of this place."

Barry, confused, just shrugged it off and walked out of the strange place, into the open, where it was snowing as usual. Plusle's eyes lit up at the sight of something…

"Barry! Look at that Minun! Now she's my type! See you around, okay?"

Barry chuckled as Plusle and Minun ran off. He looked up at the building before him. Metallic, huge, not much to say. _Laboratory Of Professor Rowan _was engraved on the door.

He gulped and nervously knocked on the door. After about a minute, someone called to him. "Yeah, come in, come in."

Opening the door, he looked around curiously. The building was filled with mechanical objects and various machines and inventions everywhere, with tools and memos on tables and littering the floors. A man who seemed to be in his late 40's turned around and gasped at the sight of Barry.

"…Barry? Is that you? Wow…I can't believe it. My son. MY son. Why, I haven't seen you in a good ten years. You've grown to be a fine young boy. Do you want a donut? …Well it's okay if you don't."

Barry bowed in respect. "Professor Rowan…I need your help. I got a message in a dream telling me to go to the South and save two people that need help."

Without even asking questions, Professor Rowan nodded. "I just finished my newest invention, the Skyrunner. You can use that to fly there. There's an instruction manual in there as well."

Before he could say anything else, Barry immediately leapt for it, diving into the front seat and pressing the launch button. As the machine whirred and raised through the roof of the building, Barry waved with a sad smile towards Professor Rowan.

"Bye Professor Rowan. Bye Dad." And turning his attention back to the sky, Barry and the Skyrunner rose into the clouds.


	8. A New Friend, A Resumed Adventure

_**God, I'm so stupid! I just realized that at the end of Chapter 6, I wrote Jeff, not Barry. There is no Jeff in Pokemon, only in Earthbound. True, Barry is the EQUIVALENT of Jeff, in this story, but he is not Jeff. Nor is Jeff Andonuts even in here. Sorry about that, it's fixed now, won't happen again. Although I sometimes wind up wanting to type Dawn as Paula and Ash as Ness.**_

Ash opened his eyes and jumped back in surprise at the loud crash and the machine that had just burst through the roof. Dawn, too, awoke from her nap on the cold stone floor and ran beside Ash, pointing to the strange machine as the smoke began to part.

"Ash, what in God's name…"

Ash sighed. "Dawn, we've been abducted by zombies, attacked by people obsessed with the color blue, and I was bitten by a Gym Leader at one point. I'd believe anything right now."

Both of them fell silent as the door to the strange machine opened. A boy covered in soot stepped out of the machine and nearly collapsed, coughing. "God, too much smoke! I hate allergies!"

Ash, without stopping to ask questions, ran over to him, placing two hands on the boy's chest. "Easy, just relax. PSI Healing!"

Sure enough, the boy could feel the smoke leaving him and fresh air circulating once again, and smiled at Ash. "Thanks. I was a little worried there."

Dawn came up alongside Ash once again. "Are…are you…"

The boy blushed. "Oh yeah! U-Umm…my name's Barry, sorry about that. I…I kinda get nervous around people. I'm a little shy."

Ash gazed at the pile of rubble, placing his hand gently over a piece of metal. "You built this?"

Barry shook his head. "Actually, no…my Dad did. Professor Rowan. He's a real genius."

Ash smiled at Barry. "Looks complicated, though. Must take another genius to fly it, huh?"

Barry blushed. "Well I wouldn't call myself a genius…"

Dawn put her hands on her hips. "What's your IQ, anyway?"

Barry smiled. "189, why?"

Ash put his hand on Dawn's shoulder. "Nice choice of kid to save us, Dawn."

Barry walked over to Dawn. "Save you? From what?"

Ash pointed to the door. "Zombies. Long story short, we're stuck in here without a way out."

Barry gently tried to twist the doorknob, but to know avail. He laughed and pulled out the Bad Key Machine. "That's it? I can fix that in a heartbeat."

A little while later, Ash, Dawn, and their new friend Barry were both out of the place and fully equipped with new items, not to mention Ash kindly buying some bottle rockets for Barry, who insisted he owed Ash for this.

The three took a stroll through town trying to figure out the best way around things. Dawn was surprised when she found a ladder leading down into…something.

Ash and Barry came and examined the ladder, which seemed to lead into pitch-black nothingness. Ash sighed. "Nowhere to go but down."

Dawn tilted her head. "You sure?"

Ash smiled. "Don't worry. We got three PSI users on our side."

Barry smiled back. "Really?"

Ash rolled his eyes. "Well duh. The three chosen ones, right here, right now."

Barry blushed as Ash hastily clambered down the ladder. "Huh? Ash, wait!"

He turned his head to Dawn, but she was already halfway there as well. Barry hung his head sadly before following suit.

At the bottom at last, the three found nothing but an empty room with a few empty coffins. Dawn felt chills run down her spine. "Ash, this place is surprisingly creepy."

Ash shrugged. "This is a creepy town. What do you expect?"

Barry tugged on Ash's sleeve. "Ash, there's something I need to tell you first!"

Ash gently shook him off. "Not now. Tell me later. We gotta figure out exactly how to get rid of those zombies for good, Barry."

The conversation was disrupted by one of Dawn's screams. "Wha…what is that?"

Ash knelt down beside the stinky blob that Dawn was screaming about. "…I think it's a Grimer, isn't it?"

Dawn shook her head frantically. "It's freaking disgusting! Get rid of it!"

Ash took a few steps back, raising his bat high before bringing it crashing down on the blob. Much to his surprise, though, it didn't even seem phased.

Ash turned to Dawn. "Take a shot at PSI Freeze."

Dawn nodded. "Right! PSI Freeze!"

As the ice shards enveloped Grimer, still nothing seemed to phase it. Dawn sighed. "If PSI Freeze didn't work, I highly doubt PSI Fire will do anything, let alone PSI Thunder."

Ash turned to Barry. Barry gulped nervously at the oncoming question:

"Barry, what PSI do you have?"

Barry looked at his feet sadly. "None. I don't know PSI, Ash!"

Dawn seemed a little taken aback, but Ash just smiled. "Fine by me. You don't have to: You're still a chosen one, nonetheless."

Barry smiled, sighing in relief. "I thought that would've been a lot more difficult. Err…let's see…Oh, here! Let me try this out."

Barry whipped out one of the bottle rockets Ash had bought him and anxiously set it up, quickly firing at the Grimer. Sure enough, the Grimer was blasted to bits of slime. Ash beamed at Barry, ignoring Dawn's cries of disgust as the slime coated her hair, face, and clothes.

Dawn sighed, wiping the sweat from her forehead as she bit into the crossaint tiredly. "Ash, are we almost there yet? I think the enemies around here are getting tougher by the second."

Ash sighed. "Dawn, I have no idea where I'm going. We all know that. I'm terrible with directions."

Barry's eyes wandered to a trail leading off the path they were currently on. "Ash, what is that?"

Ash and Dawn both looked at the trail. Ash took a few steps ahead to find himself on a cliff overlooking the land. Down below it, Mudkips.

Dozens of them.

And a sign reading "Veilstone City."


End file.
